Deviation from Social Norms

• Abnormality- deviation from social norms:

  • Believes that abnormality is when a behaviour isn't socially acceptable.
  • Dependent on the culture where the behaviour occurs- social norms aren't the same across different societies, so what is abnormal in one might not be abnormal in another.
• Strengths of the definition:

  • Theoretical value- allows society to be predictable using social norms
  • Generalisable- the definition is flexible meaning it can be generalised to other situations

  Limitations of the definition:

  • Low temporal validity- social norms change often, meaning a social norm might not apply to the future
  • Cultural differences- it isn't clear what is deemed abnormal or not in different cultures